In the prior art, there has been developed a process commonly referred to as an additive manufacturing process which generally consists of forming various bodies by extruding a bead of a molten thermoplastic material, applying such bead of molten material in a strata of layers to form a replica of an article sought to be formed and then machining such replica when cooled to remove excess material and provide the final configuration of the intended article. In practicing such process, several aspects thereof have been noted. In procedures where thick beads of molten material are produced, it has been found that an oversized replica of the intended article results, requiring excessive machining in producing the final article configuration, requiring increased production time and excessive scarp material. In forming comparatively large articles, it further has been found that lain strata of extruded material are apt to cool thereby impairing the fusion of a layer of molten material applied thereon. Such lack of fusion may be overcome by tamping an overlying, molten bead segment to induce fusion. Such remedial measure however, has the effect of causing the bulging of applied layers, often requiring additional machining. In seeking to overcome the disadvantages of the use of thick beads of molten material, thin beads of material have been employed. Such use has been effective in reducing machine time but results in a substantial increase in overall production time thereby negatively affecting productively.
In view of the foregoing, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for producing an article through the use of an additive material process, requiring little if any machining of a molded body in providing a final product.